Central Oregon in the Fall

17-24 October 2010

North Matthieu Lake near McKenzie Pass

17 Oct – After a not-so-early start, we drove over Snoqualmie Pass, got some gas at Safeway in Cle Elum, then filled up at Costco in Union Gap. We arrived at Eagle Crest Resort about 1700 and checked in to the upper floor of a 3-BR condo way down the end of the Falcon Crest cul-de-sac.

Tam McArthur rim panorama

18 Oct – After talking with Steve Roti about weather and activity options, we decided to do the hike to Tam McArthur Rim. We left around 1030 and took the kayak with us in case we wanted to paddle in Three Creek Lake 16 mi south of Sisters. We missed the trailhead and drove to the end of the road in an empty FS campground with a few yurts. Backtracking, we found the trail at the other end of the lake (6500 ft) and started steeply up and around the wall above the lake. Less than a mile along we entered the Sisters Wilderness Area and the grade eased and we passed out of ponderosa pine into limber pine and later through stands of subalpine (?) or noble fir. Our lunch spot was a promontory on Tam McArthus Rim at about 7700 ft, some 2.5 mi and 1.5 hrs from the car. After lunch we explored along the rim a bit farther until the trail started dipping down toward a low point beyond which was a lingering snow bank. We met only a few other hikers on the trail and made good time back to the car. Too tired to consider paddling in the small lake, we headed back to the condo and dinner. Later, we drove to the Eagle Crest Resort lobby and used the wi-fi to pick up email and download other stuff.

19 Oct, Tue – Steve called to let us know that the weather looked marginally better for flying but we were off to get tires for the Outback at Costco and didn’t have our wings in the car anyway. We thought it over and decided to get together for a paddle when Tina got back from a class. After some minor Costco shopping we drove out to the Bend Factory Outlets and I looked for some trail shoes to replace my worn-out pair at Columbia Sportswear. I didn’t find any that fit perfectly, but maybe there will be something at the FM anniversary sale. After getting some cash at BofA, we got gas at Arco (2.819) and had some lunch. We met Tina and Steve at the Powder House parking lot around 1330 and followed them up to Sparks Lake, west of Bachelor Butte. We had the lake to ourselves and paddled along the lava shoreline and up several narrow inlets. In one inlet we could hear the water gurgling as it drained down into the passages that connected Sparks with the next lake downstream. This late in the season the water was very low and we scraped the sandy bottom several times and had to paddle without a rudder some of the time. By 1630 we were reloading the kayaks on the cars ready to head back to town. C.J. and I stopped to pick up some avocados, tomatoes and apricot ale for dinner with the Rotis. Steve also invited Steve and Nona so we had a good crowd for another Tina-prepared feast. We got back to the condo by 2145.

21 Oct, Wed – Another beautiful day with crisp temperatures and bright blue sky. We decided to do another hike and headed for McKenzie Pass and the Matthieu Lakes Trailhead (arrived 1130). There was only one other couple gearing up to do the same hike and we checked with them on the correct trail since we did not have a map. A short segment of trail led to the Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail and we followed that about 2.5 miles through forest and across some openings on a ridge to South Matthieu Lake. We had lunch on the far side of the little lake then started down the trail past North Matthieu Lake to make a loop. It was only another 2.5 miles along the moderately-sloped trail to the parking lot. Since it was still early, we drove the short distance to McKenzie Pass and found the Dee Wright Observatory, built by the CCC of lava chunks from the lava field it sits above. Some of the windows were arranged to frame the surrounding mountain peaks so we were able to identify some that we weren’t sure of. From there we backtracked down the scenic, old (narrow, no shoulders) highway and stopped in Sisters to look around a bit and buy a postcard. The last item on our agenda for the day was to pick up some groceries, a watch for C.J. and a pair of trail shoes for me, all reduced in price for the Fred Meyer 88^th anniversary sale. After a yummy dinner of zucchini soup we went over to the hotel lobby to download email and do other online chores.

22 Oct, Thu – We met Tina at her house and fastened her light, twelve-ft Current Designs kayak against ours so we could all ride in one vehicle. We drove about 35 miles along the Cascade Lakes highway to Hosmer Lake boat ramp. There were only two other vehicles in the parking lot and we only encountered two other boaters or fishermen during our paddle. We paddled along the perimeter of the open water and through relatively narrow channels between reed beds. Near the northern end of the lake we followed Quinn Creek up to a good pull-out spot just below a low waterfall where we had lunch. The water was a little low in the creek but that was the only place we had to pull up the rudder. It was still pretty early when we returned to the boat ramp so on the way home we stopped at Elk Lake Lodge thinking to get a drink or some ice cream but it was closed (in between seasons, I guess, because it is open in the winter for snowmobilers and skiers). C.J. and Tina decided to sit on the patio in the sun and look at C.J.’s Nepal scrapbook. Back at Tina’s, we had a snack and then took a quick shower before following Steve to McMenamin’s Old St Francis School for the USHPA “icebreaker” at 1800. After schmoozing for an hour-and-a-half, we headed back to the condo for dinner and to meet Bob H who arrived around 2100.

23 Oct, Fri – We spent the day at the USHPA board meeting at the Phoenix Hotel in downtown Bend. First we studied all the nominations for awards and made some notes. Then we took a break and went to “lunch” with Mark Forbes at Goody’s, a candy shop/soda fountain on Wall Street – a sundae for lunch! We got back for our Awards Committee meeting a little late but managed to get all the awards sorted out by about 1500. The only two that really needed any discussion (because there were more than one candidate) were the Paragliding Instructor Of The Year (Benoit Bruneau, Kevin McGinley) and Promotional Video (“Zippy”, “Torrey Pines” by the La Jolla Historical Soc.). The rest of the afternoon we talked to other directors and staff and C.J. typed up the minutes of the meeting. On the way home we stopped at Fred Meyer for some groceries and a new clock for C.J.’s night stand. We also filled up our gas tank there at the unbeatable price of $2.829, and that should get us back to Yakima.

24 Oct, Sat – Again we spent the day at the Phoenix. This time for the General Session – lasted to almost 1800. There were a couple of breaks and, since the weather was better than forecasted, we walked down to Drake Park for a picnic lunch in the sun amid the falling leaves. The Board chose Kitty Hawk, NC, as the site for next fall’s BOD meeting. We were already considering going “Back East” for the fall colors and now may consider attending the BOD meeting as well. It coincides with the 100^th anniversary of the first flight. New officers were elected and Bill Bolosky is back in as an Exec Comm member and secretary, Mark Forbes remains treasurer, and the new president (We’re guessing that past-pres Lisa resigned so she could apply for the Exec Dir position.) is Rich Hass, another Region One pilot. Later, Belinda and Davis met us at Eagle Crest for dinner and we had a good visit.

25 Oct, Sun – It was pouring rain and very windy as we ate breakfast but stopped when it was time to load the car. Since there were some patches of blue sky, we took the scenic route (well, new route anyway) to Prineville then up SR 26 through the National Grasslands to Madras. We ran into some downpours and strong winds along the way, enough to push the bow of the kayak out of alignment with the car. Maybe I need to put the front cradles closer together. We also had some wonderful sunbreaks and fall color so it wasn’t a bad trip at all. We got home around 1630, early enough to pick up some books at the library that had been on hold since last Sunday.

Paddling Near Deception Pass

6-7 October

C.J. and I have been talking about doing an overnight kayak trip since the weather first improved in June (?) (No, it wasn't June because the weather was lousy then, as it was in almost-winter May), or maybe July. The San Juans looked like a good possibility, especially Lopez Island. But it's been difficult to schedule the ferry with the tides/currents and decent weather. So we decided to just go somewhere the first time we had decent weather even if we didn't kayak camp.

6 Oct, Wed - We got up no earlier than usual and didn't rush breakfast, but we still got the trailer out of the driveway by 11:00 (including a trip around the block to go back to get the brake controller). We were definitely running a bit late when we knew that the slack at Deception Pass was supposed to be between 1500 and 1600. It was while we were going through Mt. Vernon that I noticed that the brake controller wasn't showing "C" for "connected". I pulled up to the curb in front of a Les Schwab, checked the trailer cable and found that a loop of cable had been dragging long enough that most of the wires were ground-off. I could fix that but I'd need some tools and supplies that I didn't have. About when I was thinking how I'd have to find a NAPA auto parts or something, a Les Schwab manager came out and asked if we needed any help. He called his friend, Greg, at a local auto repair place and he said he could fit us in. Greg cut the abraded piece out, stripped back some of the insulation and used heat-shrink butt connectors and a bunch of electrical tape to make a pretty permanent repair. We were on our way in about a half-hour only about $50 lighter in the wallet.

Our first objective was to set up camp at the Bowman Bay section of Deception Pass State Park, but it was "closed for the winter". That meant we had to go to the main Cranberry Lake section of DPSP. The entrance was unmanned but the signs said all campsites were subject to reservation - would there be a site for us? Only one loop of the campground was open but the place was mostly deserted so we had no problem finding a "primitive" pull-thru site in an open forest with good sun exposure. Wasting no time, we set up and then headed back to where I thought we could launch the kayak, but Rosario Beach was gated and "closed for the winter" also. The boat ramp at Bowman Bay was open, though, so we put in there. The Bay was a great place to start as the water was glassy and the wind calm. As we poked our nose out around Rosario Head, the wind picked up and there was some current. Rosario Bay was also calm as we paddled around to see the Native American sculpture, KO KWAL AL WOOT, we had hiked to many years ago when we were diving here for the first time in dry suits. We backtracked and crossed the mouth of Bowman Bay, rounding Reservation Light for a view of the Deception Pass bridge and a little feel of the roiling currents of the ebb tide. We paddled almost as far as Lottie Bay before turning back to the calm of Bowman Bay where we spotted a group of sea otters along with many birds, especially noteworthy being the huge, pterodactyl-like Great Blue Herons.

After loading the kayak back on the car we wandered over to the CCC interpretive center (closed for the season, of course) and looked at some of the old CCC-built picnic shelters and bathrooms. There was still sunshine so when we got back to our campsite, we grabbed some snacks and headed for West Beach which turned out to be just a short distance from our site. We found the trail to North Beach, but abandoned it for the chance to walk along the firm sand shore. At North Beach we settled on a rocky point to watch the sun set while we had some bread and cheese (should have brought the wine...). We got back to camp before it became really dark and the sunset color lasted even longer.

Uh oh! No lights! No power in the trailer! Is the battery discharged? Checked the fuses - all good. Took the battery cover off and found the main 20-amp fuse was blown - probably while the repair was being made. Fortunately I had a spare 20-amp so we were back in business with lights and refrigerator (Does the fridge use some electricity even while running on propane?)

7 Oct, Thurs - After breakfast we stopped at the entrance station on the way out to use our credit card to pay for camping . [ We found out that there is a "senior off-season pass" that allows you to camp for free from October through April for an annual $50 fee.] We exited the park and crossed the highway and entered the Cornet Bay section of DPSP. The tide was low and we had missed the 0945 slack current but the paddling in the bay was fine. We went out to Ben Ure Island and looked around the point at the Deception Pass bridge and the flood tide, then backed off and continued around the other side of the island, then along the shore of the bay. There were lots of birds but no mammals this time. We paddled past our put-in place and on toward Hoypus Point which is the site of the old ferry that was replaced by the bridge. As we approached the point our speed increased from the lazy 3 mph we had been making to 4, then 4.9; it seemed like a good time to turn around before we were swept beyond the end of the road. The eddy wasn't particularly hard to paddle against and soon we were back to the boat launch. After securing our kayak to the roof rack again we took lunch and walked out to Hoypus Point and a view of Deception Pass. The road is gated and beset by cracks and subsidence, but makes a good walk. Other trails branch off and wander through the old forest, something to look forward to on another trip.

We returned to our campsite to pack up the trailer and headed home through Burlington where we got gas at Costco (2.779). Traffic was light until we passed SR 520 and then we did the Bellevue Crawl all the way to I-90. Nevertheless, we were home by 1700 and ready for some rest.

Dog Mountain Weekend

2-3 October 2010

It was really overcast and damp when we left but like magic the skies cleared just past Storm King south of Elbe. We quickly set up the Aliner then led Tom Lee, Jeff B, and Bob up to launch. Since the wind was fairly light (even though a few whitecaps were visible on the lake), I set up and pulled off a creditable reverse inflation. Just as I expected, there wasn't much lift and, even worse, C.J. informed me on the radio that I had a knot in my brake lines near center. Since I couldn't clear the tangle, I concentrated on maximizing the little bit of lift there was and managed to hang in there about 100 ft below launch. It helped that no one else wanted to launch so I had the whole lift band to myself, such as it was. In a half hour or so the lift increased a bit and I was able to briefly get above the take off. More folks arrived and started to set up and Bob launched in his North Wing Horizon. There still was plenty of room but when the next person took off, I headed out to the point to give the hangs more room in the shallow lift band. Surprisingly my descent rate was quite slow, probably due to the increasing wind speed as I got lower. I stayed out in front of the LZ until I was low enough to make a very short downwind-crosswind-final and descended almost straight down to the spot. (0:57) After packing up, I noted that no one else seemed to be heading up to launch and I needed to get some more exercise anyway. So I chomped a couple of crackers and took my radio and walked along the Champion Haul Road a quarter mile then tackled the steep climb through brush and briers heading for the road to the top. There was way too much brush and small downed trees to make this route a regular means of getting back to the summit, even though it cut off maybe three-quarters of a miles of road walking. [Interestingly, there were well-worn game (?) trails criss-crossing the slope.] Just as I arrived at launch Larry drove up for a second tandem flight. I hung around long enough to dry some of the sweat then drove the Trooper back down. C.J. had already landed after a flight of more than an hour (1:10) and was mostly packed up. Since we had both had good flights, we didn't feel a need to go back up again (although it would have been fun to fly the north side when the wind switched as it did later).

Later as it got dark enough to see the stars and Milky Way clearly The group put together a sort of potluck meal of burritos, Hungarian meat in a creamy sauce, C.J.'s salmon omettata, salad and spaghetti, followed by cake to celebrate Amelia Adler's first birthday. The fire felt pretty good but we only lasted to 2100 or so before hitting the comfort of the trailer to read for a while.

Sunday dawned cloudy and seemed an ideal opportunity to have an impromptu CBCC meeting at Tina and Larry's property. Important issues like the reasons for requiring USHPA membership at Dog, Tiger, Blanchard, Chelan, Eagle, Big J, Stewart, and Black were discussed, and volunteers were solicited for some of the jobs that are wearing out the folks who do most of the work. During the meeting Tina and Larry's neighbors brought shepherds pie for lunch, much appreciated since some folks were running on sugar overload from the box of Krispy Kremes. Later, the sun began to peek through but it didn't look like a great day. In fact, there were rain showers coming down the lake, so we packed up and headed back to North Bend arriving early enough to have dinner at home.

Saddle Mountain Air time - 1:00

30 September 2010

That's 00:01:00, one minute

After a morning at the VA Medical Center in Seattle for diabetes training and consultation, I agreed with C.J. that Saddle looked like a real possibility even with the two-hour drive. We arrived around 1400 noting promising wind markers along the way especially crossing the I-90 bridge at Vantage. Steve _____ was already there doing launches and toplandings with his Sport2 hang glider. Three BLM archaeology surveyors were there as well studying something down in front of launch (and I heard later that other surveyors are looking for a route for a new set of powerlines over the Saddle Mountains). While there were stronger gusts, the base wind seemed to be from the N at 10-12 mph. I pulled my wing up and ran under it with good control but as soon as I turned around, I was snatched up into the air. "Not to worry, this happens all the time. I'll just get settled and fly out of the compression", I thought. Unfortunately, there was NO forward motion at all and soon I was moving backward at a good clip toward the wind-test tower with its cable guylines. I sideslipped as much as possible to the east hoping to get around the tower. Once I was pretty sure that I had cleared it I stood on my speed bar and pulled big ears. I still didn't get any forward penetration but managed to get on the ground safely just south and east of the tower. That was enough for the day, and we packed the wing up and headed down to put Plan B into effect.

For years we'd passed the Wanapum Dam Heritage Center and said we'd like to stop and check it out. Today we had our chance. The small Heritage Center had exhibits pertaining to the native Wanapum people who lived in the area (There are only about 60 left and they now live just a ways downstream from the dam - but no more fishing in the falls, long covered by the water behind one dam or another). Unfortunately we arrived just minutes before the center was to close so we'll have to go back for a better look sometime. From there we went to Ginkgo State Park near Vantage, built by the CCC in the '30s to preserve a bunch of petrified logs of elm, walnut, sweetgum and Douglas-fir scattered along a hillside. It was close to sundown so the dry, dusty hillside was less hot than it would have been in mid-day. In any case we got a good walk along the interpretive trails. (Then we probably ruined all the good health bennies by eating dinner at Sugar Thai in Ellensburg.) Having managed to miss the I-90 closure for blasting near Lake Keechelus by stopping to eat, we were able to sail home with no slowdowns.